Britain has decided against inviting a Libyan representative to the wedding this week of Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey, official sources said on Monday.

An invitation to Libya's ambassador was prepared before the conflict in the country intensified in March but was not delivered, according to the sources.

The decision not to issue the invitation to the wedding on Friday was made by the Foreign Office which is dealing with the issue of which foreign dignitaries should attend, they said.

Protocol dictates that all ambassadors based in London should be invited unless there is a diplomatic problem. Representatives of Iran and Zimbabwe, for example, have been invited despite strained relations with Britain in the past.

"All heads of mission in London representing countries with which we are in normal diplomatic relations have been invited to the royal wedding," a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said.

Britain expelled five Libyan diplomats last month, judging their presence could pose a threat to national security. However, Libya's ambassador and other embassy staff remain.

On Sunday, Bahrain's crown prince said he would not attend the wedding because of unrest in the Gulf Arab kingdom, defusing a potentially embarrassing row over his invitation.

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